1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid composition useful for topical application, as well as to its use in the cosmetic and/or dermatological fields, in particular to care for and/or treat the skin, the scalp, the hair or mucous membranes, to make up the skin and/or keratin fibres such as the eyelashes and the hair, and to style and/or shape keratin fibres, and in particular the hair.
2. Discussion of the Background
Products in solid form are known in the cosmetics industry. Products of this type include, in the field of make-up, tubes or "sticks" of lipstick, foundation or of eyeshadow; in the field of skin care or lip care, lip, repair pencils and depigmenting, make-up-removing or moisturizing tubes or "sticks"; in the field of hygiene, deodorant sticks and moussing sticks or bars to shave or wash the skin.
Wax-based stick formulations have certain drawbacks: they have a greasy nature which is not appreciated by users, and they lack freshness when applied. In addition, it is difficult to introduce hydrophilic active agents therein.
Moreover, non-greasy sticks such as deodorant sticks generally contain a relatively large amount of fatty acid salts which can have an irritant nature for applications such as facial care. Moreover, these sticks leave a sticky film when applied to the skin.
In addition, aqueous rigid gels are described in documents WO-A-97/17055 and WO-A-97/17053. However, these gels require the use of a fairly large concentration of gelling agent or use a specific preparation technique--extrusion. In addition, the sticks described in document WO-A-97/17055 lack transparency and, on account of the high concentration of gelling agent, lack freshness and softness when applied to the skin, and those described in document WO-A-97/17053 must be moistened at the time of use.
Moreover, document EP-A-803,245 describes aqueous solid compositions containing heat-reversible polysaccharides, a wetting agent and a powdery phase (fillers). However, the presence of a powdery phase can entail the following drawbacks: presence of a visible trace after applying the composition to the skin and reduced feeling of comfort. In addition, when the powdery phase is removed from the composition described in document EP-A-803,245, a composition which is neither sufficiently solid nor sufficiently stable and which does not transfer onto the skin in a satisfactory manner is obtained.
Thus, there is still a need for a solid composition for topical application which does not have the drawbacks of the prior art.